Siyu Journal; Why a Village Well Is a Weapon in the War on Terror

By MARC LACEY

Published: April 30, 2004

SIYU, Kenya—
Why this particular fishing village, among the hundreds along the East African coast, may soon receive a new well, courtesy of the Pentagon, is no secret.

It is not because the people here have to walk long distances and brave harsh temperatures for the limited drinking water available on Pate Island, although they do. No, the United States Central Command is concerned more with the loyalties of the people of Siyu than their thirst.

From remote Siyu, investigators say, the bombing of a Mombasa hotel that catered to Israeli tourists, and the simultaneous failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli-chartered airliner, were planned in 2002. The well is one of many public works projects being undertaken by the American military throughout the Horn of Africa aimed at changing the locals' view of a country many of them had learned to hate.

''The war on terrorism is not necessarily a shooting war,'' said Maj. W. Brice Finney, commander of theArmy's 412th Civil Affairs Battalion. Still, these are good deeds with a strategic edge. The main purpose is to monitor the vast coastline for terrorists fleeing Afghanistan and other spots across the Gulf of Aden. All of which explains why the military is paying close attention to Siyu.

The island is difficult to reach, especially at low tide. Dhows must navigate north from Lamu, one of Kenya's offshore islands, through a mangrove forest, carefully avoiding the rocks. The speck of a village, home to 1,500 people, is a couple of hours by foot from the island's main settlement. The perfect hide-out, in short, for an enterprising terrorist like Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, chief suspect in the Mombasa attacks and also wanted in connection with the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi.

Mr. Mohammed is from another island, Comoros, further south. But he arrived in Siyu sometime around 2002, married a local girl and began preaching at the local madrassa. Investigators say he also recruited his young bride's father and brother, both of whom are standing trial, into his Al Qaeda operation.

Mr. Mohammed disappeared after the Mombasa bombing and is in hiding. Now it is the American military preaching to the residents of Siyu, through its public works projects.

Not just in Siyu but throughout the Horn of Africa sick people line up by the hundreds for checkups by military doctors. Pastoralists bring their huge herds of cows and sheep and goats for deworming by military veterinarians. Parents cheer as military engineers refurbish their children's schools.

Despite its Peace Corps-like approach, though, the Pentagon still has some hearts and minds to win in its periodic visits to the island.

''I don't like them here,'' said Sheik Mahmoud Ahmed Abdulkadir, the imam of Pwani Mosque in nearby Lamu, who has urged his followers to shun the Americans. ''I feel that they are my enemy. I have no intention of harming them, but I cannot show them a smile on my face.''

In December, the riot police had to be called into Garissa, a town near Kenya's border with Somalia, to control protesters who were throwing stones, setting fire to American flags and burning an effigy of President Bush. The reason for the fury: word had been spread at the mosque that the American soldiers had arrived not to inoculate people and livestock against disease but to poison them.

Despite such attitudes, the Americans say they are welcomed far more often than they are turned away. The soldiers in Major Finney's unit, reservists all, are older than most and specially schooled in community outreach. They include several police detectives, a casino pit boss, a nurse and a former state representative who ran unsuccessfully for a Michigan senate seat. Major Finney is a veterinarian. They do not wear uniforms or display weapons, but their short haircuts, white skin and bulky builds give them away.

People here have become used to the sight of soldiers in their midst. Most welcome the American help with open arms, putting their political and religious beliefs to the side.

''We need all the help we can get,'' said Bunu Mwengyealy, headmaster of Pate Primary School, across the island from Siyu. A storm wiped out one classroom last year, so Mr. Mwengyealy and others were thrilled when American soldiers arrived recently to assess the campus.

Muslim leaders say their followers have been ignoring their warnings about accepting the American largess. The people are poor and ideology takes a distant second to making ends meet.

''When I tell people, 'Don't let the Americans help you,' they ask me, 'What is the alternative?''' Sheik Abdulkadir said, shaking his head in frustration.

Photos: Tourists in Kenya, top, watched a United States Navy craft in a joint exercise with the Kenya military. A photo, above, on the F.B.I. Web site, and the school, right, that is hoping for American help. (Photographs by Guillaume Bonn for The New York Times) Map of Kenya highlighting Siyu: The Pentagon hopes to win the loyalty of Siyu by digging a well.